Tag Archives: ME

Here is part 3 of Therapies to Heal ME which includes all the therapies that I tried out in 2013 to the present day in an effort to cure my ME, including dates, and my experiences with them:

2013

January

Yoga classes – I started attending a local yoga class on a weekly basis as I felt it was more in line with my spirituality than ballroom and latin dancing! It really helped me to relax, stretch out tension and strengthen my muscles. I took classes for a year, then stopped and now I do a short yoga routine every morning to stretch!

February

Emotional Scale – I discovered the emotional scale in the book ‘Ask and it is Given’ by Esther and Jerry Hicks. It explains that there is a scale of emotions at different vibrational frequencies. For instance the emotions of grief and anger are low vibrational and appreciation, love and joy are high vibrational. It taught me how to work out which emotional level I am currently feeling and step by step move up through the emotions to the highest level.

April

Earthing – Sit in the garden with your bare feet touching the earth and the connection will drain away the positive electrical charge that has build up in your body from being in close contact with computers, mobile phones, TVs etc. After 30 minutes of earthing I feel so much better and more calm.

July

Sprouting – my boyfriend at the time gave me some of his sprouting jars and taught me how to sprouts legumes such as chickpeas. You put the legumes in a sprouting jar and soak them in filtered water overnight to remove the phytates that are hard to digest. Change the water at least once. Then you drain the legumes and leave them to dry. Left on the window sill they will start to sprout and as they do release more nutrients.

September

Juicing – my boyfriend let me borrow his juicer and I learned how to juice vegetables. The juice is highly concentrated in nutrients and it gives you a burst of energy!

December

Ayurvedic Diet – in Ayurvedic medicine there are 3 doshas or body types called vata, pitta and kapha. I am a vata and have weak digestion so need easily digestible cooked and blended foods to nourish my body. Vatas do well on sweet and sour foods. Pittas have very strong digestion and do well on bitter foods. Kaphas gain weigh easily and do well on raw foods. Eating for your type will give you more energy.

2014

January

Inner child healing – involves reconnecting with the child inside of you who wants to play and be loved. When it is ignored and we don’t take time to play, we get depressed. So loving and respecting that little child, we will feel happier and feel more joy in our lives! When I see my inner child she is a baby inside my abdomen who is crying and reaches out to hold my finger for support.

March

Daily meditation – I started to meditate every morning for 15 minutes after being inspired by the Abraham Hicks meditation process. This transformed my life and kept me feeling balanced and calm all day. You can read about how to do my light meditation here.

May

Epsom Salt Baths – during a consultation at the student clinic, the student nutritionist advised that I take regular Epsom salt baths for relaxation as I was prone to anxiety. I used 1 tbsp of high grade Epsom salt in a bath tub of hot filtered water for 10 minutes twice a week. The magnesium in the salts absorbs through the skin and relaxes the muscles leaving you feeling completely relaxed. It is difficult to get out the bath afterwards!

July

Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) – also known as tapping, it is a process of gently tapping specific acupressure points on your face to clear your energy meridians. The process starts with you thinking of a traumatic memory and feeling the intense emotional pain. Then you say the affirmation “Even though I have this feeling, I deeply and completely accept myself” as you tap the specific pressure points. It is a very powerful process as it release blockages in your meridians and leaves you feeling calm and relieved. You can watch a video on The Tapping Solution to show you where the tapping points are located.

September

Butekyo Breathing Method – involves using your abdomen to take a small breath in, then a small breath out and holding your breath for a minimum of 5 seconds. This gives your red blood cells time to transport oxygen to all areas of your body. The theory behind this is that we over breath which expels too much carbon dioxide from our body which is the very things that is required to aid oxygen transport around the body. As we build up the amount time between breathes, we experience healing effects such as detoxification as our bodies finally get the oxygen they need to function optimally. I use this technique to calm down my breathing when I get stressed and start to hyperventilate. It is very effective.

October

Plastic purge – I came across an article online that said that storing food and drink in plastic containers is harmful as plastic contains endocrine distrupters that leach into the food and reek havoc with our hormones and cause higher levels of oestrogen in the body. Up until then I had been drinking water out of plastic bottles! I immediately threw away the plastic bottles and started drinking filtered water from the tap which is much safer. Cans are lined with plastic and so canned foods also contain the endocrine disrupters! So now I buy bags of dry beans and legumes, soak them, then boil them. Using glass and steel containers instead of plastic is better for the environment as plastic is made from petroleum oil which is meant to be used for lubricating the Earth’s tectonic plates.

Adrenal Fatigue Diet – avoiding high sugar foods such as sweet fruits, dates, raisins, bananas and sweeteners keeps you blood sugar level stable and prevents dips during the day which put stress on your adrenals. Other lifestyle factors for adrenal fatigue include reducing exposure to stressful situations, meditation, yoga and walking in nature.

I am still learning and trying new techniques to improve my health today! Currently I am fascinated by Buteyko breathing!

If you have ME/CFS, I hope that these therapy reviews give you some ideas of healing methods you can try out. Everybody is different and what works for one person may not work for someone else. Still in my opinion it is worth trying everything that you feel may help until you find the one that works for you.

Here is part 2 of Therapies to Heal ME which includes all the therapies that I tried out in 2011 and 2012 in an effort to cure my ME, including dates, and my experiences with them:

2011

February

Massage – I started having massage at a beauty clinic using essential oils which warmed and relaxed my tense and aching muscles and left me feeling so peaceful and calm. It is a shame the effects wear off after a day!

October – Started volunteering to get back into society

December – Started working in a full-time job

2012

April

Reiki – I went to an MBS Fayre and had a taster reiki session. I lay on a table and she placed her hands above each of my chakras. Over my throat chakra I started swallowing uncontrollable and she said I had a blockage in this chakra and there was something I needed to say. Overall it was very relaxing and I’m sure it had a healing effect.

May

Chakra cleansing – During a reading at the MBS fayre, the psychic recommended that I use crystals to cleanse my chakras and rebalance my system. I bought a set of seven crystals, one for each chakra, and lay down, placing each crystal on the chakra and relaxing for 10 minutes before removing them. Afterwards I feel deeply relaxed, centered and peaceful. I try to do this regularly.

June

Lifestyle changes – I found working full-time to demanding on my body. I would come home, cook dinner, eat and go to bed and repeat this cycle everyday. At the weekend I was too exhausted to do anything but rest. So I asked to change my hours to part-time. They let me reduce my hours to working 3 full days a week which gave me two days off to rest in the week. This gave me more time for self-development and spending time in nature which raised my spirit. I was much happier, had more energy and felt less anxious.

August

Mindfulness – After reading The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle, I learned the powerful effect of watching the mind for silencing it. Listening to the chattering mind also known as the ego will not bring you peace and when you observe it, it stops and you can hear the quiet voice of your higher self in the peaceful silence giving you inspiration and guidance.

Blood type diet – I bought a blood testing kit and tested my blood which is blood type A-. According to this diet people with my blood type do well on a high protein, low carbohydrate diet. I feel that my body likes grains and everyone’s body is different and may have different food intolerances. I did not stay on this diet for long.

September

Detox the Pineal Gland – After watching videos by Free Spirit on YouTube I learnt that the toxins fluorine, chlorine and mercury sit in the pineal gland preventing it from functioning properly. The pineal gland secretes melatonin which regulates the circadian rhythm and sleep, and is also the physical manifestation of the third eye allowing one to see clairvoyantly. Mercury is present in all fish which is another reason to go vegetarian!

Fluoride-free toothpaste – Fluorine is in toothpaste and actually decays the teeth instead of the opposite it is advertised to do. Kingfisher do an excellent range of fluoride-free toothpastes.

Shower filter – Chlorine and fluorine are present in tap water which is why getting a water filter as well as a shower filter fitted is important. Chlorine gas is easily absorbed through the skin in the shower.

Vegetarian Diet – Free Spirit explained that foods have different vibrations. Meat has a vibration of fear and death and dairy has a vibration of suffering. If it is true that You Are What You Eat then these are not things you want to put into your body! Honour your body. And honour animals who should be cared for, not tortured and murdered!

November

Zeolite Powder – Zeolite binds to toxins in the colon and excretes them from the body. The colon detox helped to remove some toxins from my body.

Smoothies – After reading Free Spirit’s book, I contained a recipe for a green smoothie to detox the body. So I started making green smoothies on a daily basis. I felt much more alert and energised after drinking the smoothie. I still continue to drink smoothies regularly today to rehydrate my body and give it a boost of nutrients from fresh fruit and vegetables.

Raw Vegan diet – I tried out the raw vegan diet to detox my body as I had a lot of toxins in my body from all the junk food, pharmaceutical drugs, pesticides and hormones from dairy that I had ingested in the past. Winter is not the ideal time to go raw vegan and I found it difficult to get enough calories. I did not know about the importance of protein then. I felt good not eating and animal produce and it raised my vibration and detox my body.

Organic food – I started eating only organic food when I discovered how much toxic pesticides they spray on non-organic food. It may be slightly more expensive, but it tastes a lot better and often has a higher amount of nutrients that non-organic food.

If you have ME/CFS, I hope that these therapy reviews give you some ideas of healing methods you can try out. Everybody is different and what works for one person may not work for someone else. Still in my opinion it is worth trying everything that you feel may help until you find the one that works for you.

I would like to thank the PR department of the College of Naturopathic Medicine, where I am currently in my second year of studying nutrition, for introducing me to the editor of Natural Matters. The editor contacted CNM as she thought my story was very inspiring and would be very interesting for her readership.

I genuinely hope that it inspires the readers of Natural Matters to improve their diet. The editor of Natural Matters has said that she hopes to use some of my recipes herself! It is important to me to spread my message, especially to ME/CFS sufferers and to give them hope that they can recover from this chronic, debilitating illness!

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is a group of symptoms including fatigue which after months of testing have no other diagnosis. I was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome after a year of tests. I did not have muscle pain, which can also be diagnosed as Fibromyalgia, nor did I have inflammation of the brain and spinal cord which were checked after a CT scan.

Q: Other than a vegan diet have you found any other useful changes that have helped you improve?

Yes having a more relaxed lifestyle. Working part-time so I have time to meditate, do yoga and be creative. I have learned that people with ME/CFS often hyperventilate and are stressed out easily. They need to learn to slow down and slow their breathing down. Buteyko breathing is helpful. Counselling is also helpful and they may have an unresolved emotional trauma from the past which is draining their energy and needs to be faced and released.

Q: Do you take any supplements of any sorts or any other form of medication?

I take a liquid multi vitamin and digestive enzymes. I also take a probiotic supplement to support the good bacteria in the gut. I don’t take any medication.

If you have any questions about ME/CFS please do not hesitate to contact me as I will be happy to help!

After my diagnosis with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome I was determined to cure my ME, despite the NHS saying that it is an incurable, lifelong illness. I refused to accept that I had to suffer for the rest of my life.

So I set about researching on the internet for therapies that may help. I tried out so many therapies over the 3 years of being housebound with ME. Some would give temporary relief to my symptoms, while others allowed me to make huge shifts in my health that have had a lasting effect on my life. I have learnt something from every therapy that has added value to my life.

It was when I visited the nutritionist and started gradually changing my diet to include more fruits, vegetables and whole grains that I experienced noticeable increases in my energy levels and a reduction in my brain fog, dizziness and weakness.

Here is a list of the all therapies to heal ME that I tried out between December 2009 to December 2010 in an effort to cure my illness, including dates, and my experiences with them:

2009

December – Diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Caveman Diet – recommended by my Dad who had a friend from work whose daughter had ME and was trying this diet. It consists of eating only meat and non-starchy vegetables. Unfortunately I had an intense detox reaction and was excreting a lot of dark, smelly material (toxins) and it was overwhelming for me. I became even more frail and started dreaming of bread, so I stopped the diet and started on a simple diet of steamed fish, veg and rice.

2010

February

Gupta Amygdala Retraining Programme – This involved watching DVDs for hours, which I found difficult because I had to concentrate for so long. There was a floor map to act out a sequence of movements and phrases whenever I had a negative thought. I had to say ‘Stop! Stop! Stop!’ and use hand gestures to break my negative thought. Once I had memorised the sequence I was supposed to do it around the house wherever I had a negative thought. I found it embarrassing doing it in front of my family. However after a few weeks I felt much more calm and happy and my mind was more relaxed.

March

Acupuncture – it involved lying on a table and having needles inserted into in specific points on the body which unblocks your meridian channels. I felt no pain, just a slight sensation as the needle went in. I remember on one occasion I experienced a feeling like an electric shock shooting through my foot as she unblocked a foot meridian! It gave me temporary relief from my symptoms, but the benefits quickly wore off. Fortunately she recommended that I visit a nutritionist she knew, as she could see I had severe digestive issues.

Bush Flower Remedies – the acupuncturist asked me to select 5 bush flower remedies that I was drawn to and made up a tincture for me to take. I used then on a daily basis but they did not have a very strong effect. Although, I do remember that in one therapy session I got very upset and she gave me a few drops of one bush flower remedy and within a minute I felt calm again.

Aromatherapy – I was drawn to aromatherapy and bought the excellent book Complete Illustrated Guide to Aromatherapy by Julia Lawless. I would often put a few drops of essentials oils in a vaporiser which would fill the house with a calming aroma that left me feeling very relaxed.

Feng Shui – I remember vividly the first day of Spring. The sun was filling the house with bright light and I was drawn to pick up a book on Feng Shui from the bookshelf which had been sitting there for years unread. I became very interested in Feng Shui and started applying it in the house. It was an interesting hobby that kept me busy. I learned that the flow of energy through your house affects your life. I moved the furniture and placed crystals around the house which vibrate at high energy levels and protect me from ElectroMagnetic Radiation (EMR).

Acupressure – after visiting the acupuncturist, I became interested in acupressure which does not require needles and can be practised by anyone. It involves using your fingers to putt pressure on sensitive points on the body which clears any blockages in the meridians. I ordered a book called Acupressure for Common Ailments and used the technique at home. It immediately relieves muscle tension and gives a feeling of peace and calm.

April

Clutter Clearing – I started spontaneously clearing out my clutter in the Spring. This process went on for about 6 months until I had got rid of most of my clutter in the house. Strangely good things started happening in my life. In August I read Karen Kingston’s ‘Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui’ book which inspired me to let go of the last items of clutter which I had an emotional attachment to. It helped me to deal with stuck emotions from the past and release them. I cleared out most of my wardrobe because the clothes reminded me of being at university and working at Premier Foods where I got ill. I moved on from the past and new things came into my life.

Crystal Healing – I become interested in crystals and using their different properties to heal emotional issues. My favourite crystals were amethyst for protection from negative energies, rose quartz for acceptance of others and healing the heart and citrine for positivity and abundance. I would also cleanse my chakras by laying down and placing 7 tumblestones of different colours over each chakra for 10 minutes or so to rebalance my body.

May

The Chrysalis Effect Supported Recovery Programme – The Chrysalis Effect was the most helpful programme I have done. Once a fortnight I was emailed exercises to do such as a questioning my beliefs, values and lifestyle. I had many realisations and made lots of changes which improved my life. The staff provide great support via email as they have experienced and recovered from ME themselves.

Holosync – I discovered Holosync Audio meditation in the Chrysalis Effect Programme. This is another one of the best things I have ever done. Whilst resting for an hour everyday laying on my bed, I allowed my body to get into the healing state and quietened my over-active mind. I became a more peaceful, calm and happy person. My stress tolerance improved.

Reduce ElectroMagnetic Radiation (EMR) – I turned my bedroom into a tranquil paradise and removed most of my electrical appliances such as my TV and computer to reduce nasty EMFs that affect my sleep.

Dowsing for Earth Lines – I learned about dowsing and dowsed the house for harmful earth (ley) lines using coat hangers bent into L-shaped rods. I discovered I was sleeping with a ley line going right through my body and two diagonally crossing over my ankles – which would explain my constantly cold feet! These harmful earth energies disrupt the nervous system and weaken your immune system. The body is unable to heal while you sleep as it is constantly fighting to keep your body in balance from the disruptive Geopathic stress. So I moved my bed and began sleeping better immediately. Later on I discovered that copper pipes deflect the earth lines so I placed them in strategic positions around the house and everyone in the house began sleeping better!

June

Hair Analysis for Food Intolerances – I sent off a sample of my hair for analysis of food intolerance by a laboratory. The results came back and were very interesting but did not seem to correlate with what the nutritionist later detected.

Nutritionist, Supplements & diet change – I went to see a Nutritionist, at the recommendation of my Acupuncturist. This was the best thing I ever did for my ME recovery. She used a Vegatest machine to detect that I had Candida, Glandular Fever and CytoMegalo Virus. She gave me a course of natural supplements to kill off the infections. Also I was deficient in Vitamin C, iron and Omega-6-fatty acids and she gave me vitamins to take. After taking these supplements for a few weeks I began to see vast improvements in my health. I could concentrate for longer, my mind was clearer; I could do more physical activities around the house such as cooking and washing my hair. All this time it had been viruses and a fungal infection giving me all my symptoms. She also discovered that I was intolerant to cow’s milk, Yeast, Sugar, and Beef. So I immediately cut all these foods out of my diet. I had to check the ingredients labels of all the food I ate. I felt much better after doing this, especially after cutting out sugar. I began eating healthier, experimenting with cooking new foods.

Fluconazole – the nutritionist advised my to visit my doctor when she detected that I had a yeast infection. He prescribed me fluconazole for my thrush.

Anti-Candida Diet – I felt weak and shaky the morning after cutting out sugar from my diet. This is the body’s normal response of withdrawal symptoms to suddenly stopping taking a drug. I replaced the processed white sugar with fruit.

August

NHS Pacing Programme – I went once but did not like it as they were very patronising and only talked about the managing the symptoms and not things that might help cure them. They made us sit on hard, uncomfortable chairs which for people with ME who have aching bodies is not very comfortable.

September

Space Clearing – I bought a sage smudge stick online as well as a shell and feather to represent to 4 elements of earth, fire, water and air. I lit the sage and wafted the fumes around every room in the house using the feather and catching the ashes in the shell. This cleansed the house of any stagnant, negative energies. Afterwards the energy in the house felt lighter, fresher and happier and the air looked visibly sparkly. I carry out a space clearing ceremony once a year to clear out and the negative imprints from arguments or negative entities.

Relaxation Music – as I was housebound I would spend most of the day sitting in the conservatory watching the nature outside and reading and spent the evenings listening to relaxation music from Global Journey where you can get 25 free downloads. This really helped to slow down my overactive nervous system and get me out of fight-or-flight mode and into the rest-and-digest parasympathetic nervous system. The gentle sounds, calmed and relaxed me and left me feeling so peaceful and content.

October

Positive Affirmations – I also read the most amazing book ‘You Can Heal Your Life’ by Louise L. Hay. She taught me how to change my negative thinking habits into positive ones and how positive thoughts attract positive experiences and it brought miraculous events into my life.

December

Gluten-free Diet – I bought the book Cooking Without Make Easy by Barbara Cousins and began cooking gluten-free food. I also used the Dove’s Farm recipe booklet that my Mum got at a gluten-free meet-up group. I started baking bread, cakes and biscuits as well as making oat flapjacks and trying out FreeFrom pasta and bread.

Counselling & Hypnotherapy – the nutritionist recommended that I go and see a counsellor she knew. It was helpful to talk about traumas that happened in the past and my current problems. She gave me some great advise such as encouraging me to join a ballroom dancing club to be around people again and to learn to drive to get more freedom and independence. She also advised that I leave my parents house and rent a room to get away from a controlling family member. She did guided visualisations to get me into a relaxed state and then put positive messages into my subconscious mind.

If you have ME/CFS, I hope that these therapy reviews give you some ideas of healing methods you can try out. Everybody is different and what works for one person may not work for someone else. Still in my opinion it is worth trying everything that you feel may help until you find the one that works for you.

Hi everyone! Since the latest issue of WDDTY featuring my ME recovery story was released, I have had lots of messages from recently diagnosed ME sufferers saying thank you for sharing my story and it is has given them hope, which is wonderful! They have also been asking lots of questions about ME and health and I wanted to share the questions and answers on my blog as it may help other people with ME.

Q: How long did it take you to recover fully?

A: I had my health collapse in December 2008 then had the diagnosis of CFS in December 2009 after a year of tests. I visited the nutritionist in July 2010 and felt a lot better after a few weeks of changing my diet and taking the recommended supplements. I was fully well and able to go back to work in December 2011. So I would say it took me 3 years to recover fully.

Q: Can you suggest any supplements that might help?

A: I would recommend Source of Life Liquid Gold mulitivitamin to give your body support as it is easy to absorb and gives you an instant energy boost! Vitamin C is important for boosting a low immune system, which is common in CFS. I took Vitamin C on a daily basis during the worst of my illness. Also a probiotic to repopulate the good bacteria in your gut.

Q: Do you believe candida was central causing to your CFS?

A: I believe the main cause of my CFS was catching glandular fever at university and it weakened my immune system. I then took the anti-biotic tetracycline for my acne and it wiped out my good bacteria which allowed the candida to proliferate. As soon as the nutritionist detected that I had candida on the bio-resonance machine I cut out processed sugar and minimised sweet fruit. I also took grapefruit extract that she recommended and cut out yeasty foods. The combination of these approaches wiped out the candida within several weeks.

Q: Do you eat fruit nowadays considering it can start to re-feed the candida?

A: Yes I regularly eat fruit since it is full of vitamins and nutrients and the candida has never returned. My immune system is strong now and I regularly take a probiotic to support my good bacteria so candida cannot thrive.

A: I would not recommend a low fat diet as the body requires a certain level of fat to function well. If you want to lose weight I would recommend removing processed sugar from your diet as the body cannot use it as it is devoid of nutrients and so stores it. I have never been on a cave man diet, but I don’t eat a lot of grains as they are hard for the body to digest. I eat a high protein vegan diet with foods such a quinoa, brown rice, peas, nuts, seeds and legumes. I don’t eat meat as I believe it is wrong to treat animals cruelly and murder them when we don’t need to eat meat.

Q: How do we know which diet is healthy and right?

A: There are so many diets out there. You have to listen to your body to learn what is right for you. If you have a bad reaction to a food or get IBS from taking supplements, it is your bodies way of telling you it doesn’t like it and to stop consuming it. Don’t listen to what other people tell you, just follow your intuition and do what is right for you. You can do muscle testing on foods to see if you get a strong or weak reaction to a particular food.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to send me a message. Best wishes to you on your ME recovery journey.

Read about how I used a healthy diet to recover from ME in the latest issue of What Doctors Don’t Tell You magazine which is out in the shops from today!

The article entitled ‘Why ME?’ describes the phases of diet I went through before reaching the cooked and raw vegan stage I am at today, having regained all of my energy. It is a huge change from being bed bound at the start of my severe ME and took 3 years of making positive health changes to recover fully. The article also features my 10 Steps for ME Recovery.

ME is a very real illness despite many doctors putting it down to being in the mind and prescribing anti-depressants. It is caused by the organs of the body not getting the energy they need to function properly from a poor diet devoid of nutrients. The mitochondria cells which produce the energy currency ATP need certain food components to function, and if they are malnourished, the organs such as the heart cannot sustain a fast heart-rate and blood pressure drops. This lead to collapses which I have experienced first-hand. If the brain does not get the energy it needs to function, it causes brain fog, poor concentration and dizziness which I have also experienced. As soon as you consume a diet of fresh fruits, vegetables and wholefoods, the cells are filled with the vitamins and nutrients they need to heal and return to full functioning.

I genuinely hope the article inspires someone with ME to look at altering their diet and see the positive changes in their health. They can read my story and know that the illness is curable and despite what we are told, full recovery is entirely possible.

I am training to become a nutritional therapist and plan to work one-on-one with people suffering from ME to teach them the tools to heal themselves.

I was casually reading through the lastest issue of What Doctors Don’t Tell You magazine, enjoying a relaxing Sunday afternoon, when I reached the back page, noticed a column IN THE NEXT ISSUE and saw my name!

They are going to publish an article on my recovery story entitled ‘How I beat myME’ in the September issue. The introduction reads: ‘Student Kate, who was reading chemistry at university, overcame her natural scepticism to all things alternative when her chronic fatigue, so severe she could barely get out of bed, got resolved through diet.’

The September 2014 issue featuring the article is on sale from 28th August 2014. It can be purchased from shops in the UK, via hardcopy or electronic subscription or via the WDDTY app. Look out for the article!

Clearly I am very excited that my story will be viewed internationally in the magazine and will hopefully inspire someone suffering from ME to take control of their health and use diet to make a full recovery, which it exactly what I did.

If you have an inspiring story of recovery from illness, I highly recommend getting your story out there as it may help someone. Starting a blog is a great way to get your message out as it can be viewed by people throughout the world on the internet.

Fortunately for me, I was in contact with the PR department of CNM, the naturopathic college where I am currently studying, who were publishing my story of using natural methods to recover from ME along with a course testimonial on their website. They have links with many major alternative health magazines and contacted me saying that WDDTY is looking for an interesting story and could they put my name forward. Shortly afterwards I was contacted by the editor Bryan Hubbard who arranged a phone interview. Later a photographer drove down to me and we had a photoshoot in a local park surrounded by trees with the backdrop of a stunning lake. We even had a couple of white swans come up to us from the lake during the shoot!

I hope this inspires you to follow your passion and take actions steps to get your own story out to the world.

What happens when you connect to your life purpose? Well when I started following my dream of being a nutritionist and helping people to transform their health, a series of coincidences took place.

Ever since I visited the nutritionist in the midst of my illness in July 2010 I wanted to do that job. At one point I looked online for courses and came across the CNM Nutrition Diploma course. It looked amazing because it incorporated the mind, body, spirit link and naturopathic treatments into the course! Just my kind of holistic approach! I enquired but did not enrol because I thought I would not be able to afford to find the money to do the course as I was only working part-time. So I put my dreams to one side and carried on with my average life.

Then I met a man at Vegfest in Hove. We discovered that we had the same passion for using diet to cure illness and lived in the same town! He invited me over to his house for lunch and we started spending a lot of time together. We became close and one evening driving back from his Mum’s house in Deal, Kent he said to me “Kate you are stuck in a rut in your job. What do you want to do with your life?” So I told him I wanted to be a nutritionist. He said when we got back, we would have a look at courses online. So the next day we had a look and he saw the CNM course and said that looks good and it is very near to where you live.

So I booked an open day online and we went along together. As soon as I was there I instinctively knew this was right for me and what I wanted to do. I had no doubts in my mind. When they mentioned the course fee I felt anxious. How am I going to find the money to fund the course? I was panicking in the car journey home. He was reassuring me that I would find the money and everything would work out ok. So the next day I checked my bank account and discovered I had just enough in savings for the first year of the course if I used my credit card as well! The first year was starting that weekend! So I paid over the phone there and then on the Thursday and enrolled in the course! If it wasn’t for a push from him, I never would have joined the course. People come into your life to help you move forward on your path.

A few months after enrolling on the course, I felt the need to break up with him, as I didn’t have time to study and spend all my spare time with him. It was too much. Also there was a huge age gap between us. I’m glad he came into my life, but it wasn’t right for me.

So as I now had a lot more time on my hands, I began a regime of meditating for 15 minutes every morning which is excellent for oxygenating the body, releasing tension in the muscles and relaxing the mind. One morning, in a meditative state after the meditation I created a blog. It’s like an outside force was guiding me forward. It had been on mind for at least a week and I had been thinking of names. So I created Kate’s Inspired Cooking on 11th April 2014!

Blogging has brought so much joy and creativity into my life! I have learnt how to take good photographs and write inspiring articles! I love cooking and have done for years! So now every time I make a new recipe, I type it into Word and take some photos of the finished product! It is joy to connect with lovely people from all over the world through the WordPress.com reader! And now, after 3 months of blogging, I am grateful to have over 150 followers and growing!

It is important to me to connect with people with ME/CFS. I seek out ME sufferers and share my story with them so they know they are not alone. When I was ill I felt completely alone and misunderstood. Unsupported by doctors and deserted by so called “friends”. I feel it is part of my life purpose to give hope to people with ME.

The important point on my journey was in July when I read an article in the CNM newsletter about the director of CNM who had used homeopathy to recover from the chronic pain after having an operation on his fingers which he accidentally cut off working in industry. At the end of the article they mentioned, “If you have an interesting story of using natural remedies to recover from illness, please contact our PR department.” So I emailed them with the link to My Story on my blog. A couple of weeks later they got back to me saying they would like to publish my story across their platforms! So I answered their questions and await to see the final version online!

Shortly afterwards, they contacted me saying that What Doctors Don’t Tell You magazine is looking for interesting health recovery stories and can they put my name forward. I immediately said “Yes!” and not long after I received a phone call from the editor of the magazine saying he would like to put my story in the magazine! I was over the moon! It means that my story can be spread worldwide and reach many readers of the magazine who have the so called incurable illness ME. The next morning we scheduled a phone interview and I told him the details of what happened during my period of illness. He was a lovely guy and so understanding and on my wavelength in terms of views on the health system. So we ended the call as I had to go to work in my part-time admin job. After arriving, the photographer called and we arranged a date for the photo shoot! I was so excited!

So here I am, having returned from the photo shoot earlier today, awe struck to have met the amazing photographer John Clement who has photographed Stephen Fry, Jo Brand and Rachel Stevens among others! He is going to email me some of the photos and article will be published in several weeks! I am so grateful for these amazing opportunities that keep coming my way! This is what happens when you connect to your life purpose! The journey continues from here…